Eight Ways to Say It
by apples-a-day
Summary: Swan Queen Week drabbles! Prompt 8: Creator's Choice - Continuation of The Kissing Booth
1. The Kissing Booth

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 1: Awkward Situation**

**Summary: Emma is stuck manning the kissing booth as a last minute replacement. But no one knows that, especially not Regina, who is there at her friend's insistence.**

* * *

Emma was sure she heard wrong. This was clearly a joke. The line must've somehow gotten warped and the words distorted. Maybe she said bitching booth. Yeah, she could definitely handle a round of people complaining to her, anything would probably sound better than this.

"You're kidding, right?" Her mouth was dry.

Mary Margaret's laugh on the other end of the line confirmed her suspicions. She didn't hear it wrong.

"Is this some sort of crazy complicated way of setting me up with someone?"

"No no, but the guy that was supposed to be doing this got a cold and he can't exactly take part of this."

Emma groaned. The things she did for family.

"Fine. But you owe me one."

Her mother's squeals and repeated expressions of gratitude made Emma smile despite herself. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

"Come on Regina! Try to have a little bit of fun!" Kathryn was at it again.

She turned to glare at her friend, but before she could say anything, Henry was running up to meet them, and nearly knocked the wind out of her.

"Mom!"

"Hello Henry," Regina hugged him closer to her. "Are you enjoying the fair so far?"

"Yeah! It's real fun, you have to try out Granny's cotton candy, it's amazing!"

Regina smiled fondly at him. "I'll make sure to do so."

Henry grinned at her and then ran off, seeing one of his friends from school.

Rounding off on her friend again, Kathryn hooked an arm around Regina's arm, and started leading her into the fair. "Come on Regina, I even bought you tickets for the kissing booth. I hear Eddie is a great kisser, he's single, and he used to be a prince!"

"Why are you under the impression I need to find love? Actually, why would you think Eddie would fall for me at the kissing booth? He'd probably take one good look at me and run scared."

"First of all honey, you need to get yourself some love in your life. And no," Kathryn could see her friend about to protest, and beat her to the punch, "saying that Henry is everything you need is absolutely not true. Second, we come from a land where kissing is the ultimate sign of love. What better way to fall in love than to kiss. Third, it's gonna be dark in there! He won't see who you are! Come on, what could you possibly lose?"

Regina really didn't have anything to counter, and grudgingly took the offered kissing booth ticket, stalking off to where the line was. She'd be here for a while.

* * *

Emma was really glad she had had enough common sense to stuff some mouthwash into her bag before coming here. Clearly fairytale characters didn't know of something called dental hygiene. She was going to kill her mother for this.

She checked her phone, only 5 more minutes and then break time. She needed food, and hoped that whatever garlic delicacy she had tasted from at least half of the customers wasn't the only thing being served, otherwise she'd really puke. Emma could bet a lot of money that Eddie was probably faking this. How convenient the guy managed to get down with a cold in the middle of summer.

Thankfully the girls were much more well mannered and cleaner than the guys. Though when they found out that it wasn't Eddie, the magical kisser, on the other side, they were less than pleased. The guys took the change in person much more in stride, although she would've been happier with a little less tongue.

The next guy that came in was fumbling around trying to find her. The room wasn't too deep but apparently it was a tradition in the Enchanted Forest to have the kissing booth in the dark, and so they continued that tradition here. She didn't mind, she was sure glad that afterwards she wouldn't have people chasing after her hoping to snag a date with her after a kiss.

Once he found her, he got straight to the point and smacked his lips onto hers, like they were magnets, and stayed there. Well this was awkward. After a few seconds, he let go and left. At least the awkward kissers finished pretty fast, she'd hate to have to deal with awkward tonguing.

After such a long time in the dark, her sight had adjusted to the point where she could see pretty well in the dark, but at that particular moment, she was sure she was seeing things.

Regina Mills was walking towards her, a purposeful stride in her step, and stopped right in front of her. She fidgeted with her hands for a second, as if contemplating whether she was really going to do this. Putting two hands on either side of her face, Regina latched her lips onto Emma's.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't liking this.

And she'd be really lying if she said she didn't deepen the kiss, wrapping her arms around the brunette.

She was damn sure Regina had no idea who she was kissing, since she was certain the other woman wouldn't be caught dead in this situation.

* * *

Regina deepened the kiss, feeling powerful arms wrap around her.

She ignored the feelings of confusion. This was clearly not Eddie. Although she had never really talked to him, she knew the handsome man was always sporting a stubble, or some kind of facial hair. This skin was smooth, and the hair long.

As they broke for air, and as her eyes opened again, adjusting to the darkness, she could see the faint silhouette of her kisser and Regina realized that she had been kissing a woman. She couldn't tell who it was, but damn she wanted to find out so badly, but her kisser was mute, perhaps on purpose.

"Okay sorry everyone, but kissing booth is closing for half an hour for lunch break! I will give you a number so that you can go grab a bite and retain your spot!" Mary Margaret's voice outside the tent made Regina jump, but she smiled as she felt a hand caress her cheek, and kiss her gently again.

"Emma! You can go on break! Thanks again for doing this! I'll save you a spot at our table." Regina's eyes shot open. No, no way. She jumped back from the kisser, feeling her cheeks flaming.

"Miss Swan?" Regina cursed herself for how the question came out, in a weak little voice.

"The one and only." Emma didn't even sound ashamed of herself, and Regina realized that, spending so much time in the dark, Emma could probably have seen her the entire time.

Without responding, Regina practically ran out of the tent.

Seeing her friend, she made a beeline for Kathryn.

Kathryn saw her coming and flashed her a grin. "Whoa, what's up with the red cheeks? You could put a tomato to shame!"

Regina took a deep breath, willing her voice to sound calm. "I just came from the kissing booth."

The blonde jumped up, her grin growing wider. "And? How did it go? Did he sweep you off your feet?"

Regina realized her friend thought Regina had flushed cheeks from a compliment of a good kiss. Well, the kiss wasn't bad...no. She would not entertain such thoughts. "It wasn't Eddie at the booth."

"Oh? Who was it?"

If Regina's cheeks could get any redder, they probably did as she said, "Emma Swan."

* * *

**Okay! So like I said, I'm doing short drabbles for SQ Week! I'll make one for each day, and if you want me to continue them, just let me know with a review! If I get enough interest I will keep going!**

**Next up tomorrow is Fake Relationship!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed this!**


	2. Date in the Name of the Law

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 2: Fake Relationship**

**Summary: Regina's sure that someone must be laughing at her. Not only was she having to do a cheesy undercover job, but she also had to do it with the rookie? AU no magic.**

**Also a note, I probably WILL continue the Kissing Booth Drabble, perhaps as part of the Eighth prompt, or just as a story by itself, I'll see!**

* * *

Regina gripped the back of the chair in front of her tighter, willing her anger to recede.

She had come in to her boss' office, not even bothering to sit down on the chair in front of his desk. James was still smirking at her, as if this was one big game to him.

"I refuse."

James' fingers were intertwined in front of him, and he looked positively evil sitting in his chair, something Regina was sure that he did on purpose in order to look more intimidating. "Ah, but you can't refuse. This wasn't a request you can turn down, it's an order. Goes beyond my paygrade."

"But with the rookie?" Regina practically spat the last word out.

He smirked wider, unlacing his fingers. "Everyone needs to start somewhere."

Regina practically growled "at the expense of my patience?"

* * *

"Swan!"

"Bear claws!" Emma jumped up from her desk where she totally hadn't been snoozing. Nah she had just been meditating... yes of course.

Her boss, the good-natured Graham, shook his head, a smile on his face. "Not a snack call Swan. Got a new assignment for you."

She looked over to her partner in crime and friend, Ruby, grinning, and then both turned to look at Graham expectantly.

His smile faltered here. "Sorry ladies, _Detective_ Emma's got another partner for this one."

"For real?" Emma's excitement barreled through the fact that she should've been sad that she wasn't working with Ruby. She didn't even register the fact that she had to be working with someone else on this one.

Her friend quickly caught on to that, and with a playful shove, said "already forgetting about us little people in your quest for fame and glory?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, "Of course not! You know I'll always think of you guys as my team."

Emma Swan had been in the police force for 5 years, and had already accumulated quite a bit of a reputation with her effective methods at solving crimes. Rumors started flying around that the higher ups had been considering on promoting her. Seems like for once the rumors were true.

"So who is Emma's new lucky partner on this one?" Ruby was feigning jealousy, her lips pursed and arms crossed, but Emma could see that Ruby's eyes were sparkling with laughter.

Graham's initial reluctance to answer had both women on edge.

"Well?" Emma wasn't so ecstatic now. Who did she get saddled with? She hoped it wasn't Her Royal Majesty, Bitch Frost herself.

"Mills"

Well shit.

* * *

_It was Emma Swan's first day on the force, and she was running late. She hoped her boss wouldn't be one of those stereotypical hardasses who were anal about being on time._

_She rounded a corner, the coffee she was carrying dangerously close to spilling, and she smiled as she saw the Boston PD building come into view. She glanced up as the building loomed closer, and didn't even see as she crashed smack into someone._

_Her coffee, previously in her cup, was now staining a perfect suit of the woman she had ran into. Said woman wearing the suit was glaring daggers at her._

_Emma didn't have time for profuse apologies, so she just smiled sheepishly, grabbed some napkins that she had grabbed from the coffee shop, and stuffed them into the hand of still mute woman, yelling back her apologies as she ran into the building, leaving the soaked, and probably scalding, woman standing there like an idiot with her briefcase and some napkins._

_The blonde had actually managed to snag a pretty laid-back chief, Graham as he insisted he call her, and her new partner Ruby. They explained the inner workings of the department, including some of the less savory characters, most of them pertaining to the detectives floor._

_Sydney Glass was a detective and avid photographer, and also the source of gossip for the entire PD. He was a friend of Ruby's, the two gossiping like old ladies constantly. But he could also be one hell of an extortionist, making sure to know what words would get what he wanted._

_"Never give him material to use as leverage against you." Ruby had warned her._

_But the very worst one of all was Regina Mills. Ruby said that although James Nolan officially ran the detective department, it was well known that Regina ran the entire operation._

_"God help you if you ever on Regina's bad side. Last person to do that was never heard from again."_

_Emma was sure Ruby was exaggerating, but she hoped she would never have to meet, or have to deal with her. She really didn't sound pleasant._

_She ended up eating her words before the end of the day. Ruby had come back from lunch with Sydney and was already telling August, a fellow officer, about how some poor soul had spilled scalding hot coffee onto Regina Mills this morning, and had the balls to leave her just standing there outside with some napkins, not even offering to help._

_The blonde had paled, but kept her head down. People spilled coffee on other people all the time. What were the chances that that was _just_ her luck to spill coffee on the most frigid member of the force?_

_Apparently it was really high._

_As she was leaving the building, she got on the elevator without looking up from her papers, and as she glanced up, she saw she was sharing an elevator with none other than Regina Mills._

_Well, Emma didn't know that at the time, but she recognized the face from this morning, and saw that the clothes were now different and coffee-free. The blonde decided that maybe she should take the first step, maybe apologizing now would make the other woman forgive her._

_She extended her hand towards the brunette, a charming smile on her face. "Hi, I'm really sorry for spilling coffee on you this morning, it's my first day and I was kinda in a rush, otherwise I would've totally helped you. I'm Emma Swan."_

_The brunette barely batted an eyelash after she finished her speech, her mouth set in a thin line. Clearly she was hard to please. As the elevator arrived to the first floor, she walked up to Emma, personal space be damned, and said, "Detective Regina Mills." She pushed past Emma roughly, walking out of the elevator as the doors opened. "You'd do well to watch where you're going, Rookie."_

_Emma could only stand there, now she was the one looking like an idiot, hand still raised to shake, mouth gaping. Just great._

* * *

Ever since then, the two have had their fair share of spats. They could barely stand to be in the same room together, making the Christmas parties super awkward. They never even acknowledged each other as anything but their derogatory nicknames. Regina called her Rookie, and Emma called her a variety of names, her favorite being Bitch Frost.

As she stood in James' office, the other woman could've probably melted the strongest metal with the glare she had on her face. Clearly she was just as enthusiastic about the arrangement as Emma was. But Emma could hardly complain, she couldn't exactly start already angering her superiors on the first day in her new charge.

"Well, now that you two are all done with introductions," he was mocking them, they had been silent since Emma came in, having already given Emma a dose of her signature lemon-sucking expression the minute she had come bounding through the door. "Your assignment. A very powerful drug dealer will be hosting the party of the year. We need you both to go in for recon. We know that this man is well connected, and would only invite the seediest underworld characters to ever exist, all who are currently in the game. So what I want are names."

Regina spoke up, venom lacing her voice, "Then why do I need a partner? Or is the Rookie supposed to be part of those trashy druggies, she certainly looks the part."

Emma glared at the other woman, who didn't even deign to turn and face her glare. So they didn't share the same tastes, was that such a crime? She liked leather jackets and the Ice Queen liked pantsuits. Big deal.

James' smirk grew wider. "You need to get out more. No, it's Valentine's day tomorrow, and this guy, ever the romantic, is hosting a party and a partner is required."

Emma did a double take. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Hang on, we're going there as a couple?"

"Yep."

Regina looked positively murderous. "Then why the hell do I need her? I can take Sydney-"

"He's busy with another case, and anyway, I got my orders. You two are going and that's final. So if I were you, I'd get to know each other, 'cause if you plan on surviving Gold's party, you don't just need to act the part. You need to live it." James winked at them. What an idiot. Ruby had said he had a twin brother, who was much kinder, also in the force. Just her luck that the evil brother was her new boss.

* * *

Emma's hand was poised on the door of the apartment, ready to knock again, when the door opened. To say she was gaping was an understatement. Clearly the older woman could probably look stunning wearing a paper bag, since the towel she had wrapped around herself, despite being just a rectangular piece of cloth, managed to show off her curves perfectly. She hid a smile and a blush as she saw that the woman had just gotten out of the shower, her hair stuffed inside a towel wrapped around her head, some strands that had escaped were dripping water onto her bare shoulders.

"You're here early, Rookie." Regina was clearly not pleased at being interrupted with her beauty bath. Emma noticed that Regina gave her a quick once-over, staring at the midnight blue dress she was wearing.

"My apologies, your Majesty," she feigned a curtsy, before continuing, "but I figured that, since you bolted yesterday before I could even say a word and we're supposed to be playing a couple, I figured that we should at least get to know each other somewhat, and not look like we're at the edge of jumping at each other's throats," Emma deadpanned. Seriously? She hoped this wasn't going to be her permanent partner if she had to be dealing with this kind of attitude every time.

"Very well. But don't touch anything." Regina opened the door wider to let the blonde in.

"Well, you're letting me breathe at least, I consider that a win. So, color?"

Regina barely had time to react with a snarky retort to the jab the blonde made before the question threw her off. "What?"

Emma sighed, acting like she was a teacher dealing with a child. "What's your favorite color?"

Regina grimaced. "When did this turn into a sharing session?"

"Did you just not hear anything I said? We're supposed to be dating! What kind of an idiot would I be if I didn't know the answers to some basic questions about my girlfriend?"

Regina discreetly flinched at the term the blonde used. They were supposed to be dating, but Regina never stopped to think of them as girlfriends in this scenario.

When the brunette didn't reply, Emma continued, "Seriously? Didn't you find out those basic pieces of information from your past lovers?"

"No, I didn't."

Emma snorted. "Must be one hell of a love life you got there, your Majesty."

Regina narrowed her eyes at the moniker the other woman had adopted to call her, and felt her fury rising. It was just for one night. She just had to be civil for one night and that was it. "Purple."

Emma smiled at the confession. "That wasn't so bad was it? And red, thanks for asking."

The older woman was certain that if certain laws didn't prevent her from getting away with it, she'd strangle the blonde right there and there. Instead she rolled her eyes. "While you think up of more excellent and stimulating questions, I need to dress."

The brunette left Emma standing in the living room, the latter made herself at home the minute the other woman was out of sight, propping herself on the probably expensive leather couch, feet resting on the table that was probably in the same price range as the sofa.

Not even five minutes later was Regina back, now wearing a Boston PD shirt and shorts. Hell hath no fury like a woman who has her furniture touched, Emma thought wryly.

"Have you no class?" This woman was really testing her patience.

"Have you got any furniture that doesn't look like it should be in a museum? I mean seriously, do you even sleep in your own bed?"

"You are worse than a child."

"Better a child than a frigid bitch. When's your birthday?"

"Wh-" This was the second time the blonde had managed to short-circuit her thoughts with a disarming question. This was going to be one hell of an evening.

* * *

Clearly drug dealers could clean up well. This was practically a gala, and if they didn't know any better, this would've looked at first to be like any high-society ball.

They handed their invitations at the door, and once Regina finished putting her coat away, she was surprised to see Emma with her arm out, in an offer to take it. The brunette took it, and they walked into the party arm in arm.

Together, they walked over to the cocktail bar, standing with drinks in hand and glancing around the room. They were all business and were actually helping each other to find recognizable criminals around the room.

"Sooooo." One man made their way to them, clearly drunk off of his ass. He got real close to Emma, and with a breath smelling of vodka, said, "I'm Neal, and you are?"

"Taken." Regina had jumped in, putting a protective arm around her waist. Emma's breath hitched. Man she never knew Regina could get so territorial and possessive with her partner. _Fake_ partner, Emma reminded herself. She was just playing the part.

Neal had taken the hint, pretty astute for a drunk guy, and stumbled away from them.

Emma smirked as the hand stayed on her waist. They might be fake dating, but they still teased each other mercilessly. "Thanks for the save, babe."

Regina stiffened, removing her hand like she was touching a burning surface. She cleared her throat, and changed the subject. "I don't believe I know him."

"Cassidy. Guy is a criminal, a good one, he uses his charms to get other people to do the work for him and take the fall if something goes wrong." Emma had read up on the guy, a couple of years ago she was set on his case but the trail went cold quickly.

Emma could sense the jealousy seep into the reply, "If you're so enamored and impressed, maybe you should've flirted with him."

The blonde smirked. She whirled to face the brunette by her side, and said, "Like you said, I'm taken. Plus, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I just left you all by your lonesome with these bad guys?"

Regina didn't have a ready response for this, and she looked away at some cheering coming from the door. As she saw who had arrived, she paled. "Shit."

Emma hadn't been expecting that as her answer, but followed her partner's gaze to the door, seeing the very handsome man coming inside. "Old flame?"

"Not exactly," Regina grumbled. "More like an old assignment."

This wasn't good news. "Let me guess. You arrested him and he hates your guts, and he has your face memorized so he could pick you out of a crowd, therefore ruining this entire operation?"

Regina could only nod meekly.

Emma glanced back. The man, who Emma recognized as the modern day skewed Robin Hood, pilfering from the rich to keep for himself or fund illegal projects, was making his way over to the bar, straight to where Regina and she were standing.

Thankfully he was talking animatedly with his companion and hadn't noticed them yet, leading Emma to make a split-second decision. She turned back to her panicked partner, grabbed her face, and pulled her into a kiss.

Regina barely had time to react, but to the surprise of both women, she melted into the kiss, rather than jump away horrified. Emma wanted to close her eyes and enjoy this, but kept a watch as the bandit passed right beside them, so close Emma could've stuck her leg out and tripped the guy, and didn't recognize Regina.

As Regina let out a moan, it seemed the sound brought the brunette back to reality and now she jumped back, cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

Well this was going to be an even more awkward evening than either had imagined.

* * *

**Okay this drabble got a bit longer, but here it is!**

**If you want me to continue, as always let me know! I might make it so that on the 7th day I'll make a poll, you guys decide what is the final prompt!**

**Thank you very much for the positive reviews, if anyone wants to request prompts, feel free to do so. I don't know when/if I'll do them, but go ahead and send them!**

**Next up is Amnesia! And I've got just the idea for that one!**


	3. In Sickness and in Health

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 3: Amnesia**

**Summary: As if being accident wasn't enough, now she's being told she's forgotten the last 3 years of her life? And in those 3 years, she got married? Just great.**

* * *

_The car swerved._

_Her heart raced_

_A hand gripped hers on the steering wheel._

_They looked at each other._

_"I-"_

* * *

Emma felt a blinding pain on her head, making her groan as she came to. She felt like she had been hit but a truck, and then had a lawnmower pass over the wreck.

Before she could get her bearings, she was engulfed into a tight hug.

"Oh thank goodness Emma! You had us so worried and we begun to fear the worst-" Mary Margaret was rambling in her ear, and Emma hugged her back. She still wasn't completely used to having people care about her so much.

Once they broke apart, Emma did a double take. "Whoa, what happened?"

Her mother looked at her curiously. "You were in a car crash. There was a terrible thunderstorm and you hydroplaned onto a fallen tree."

Emma frowned. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of days."

Now Emma was truly confused. "And you grew your hair out in just a couple of days?"

Although her hair wasn't back to the glory of her Snow White days, Mary Margaret had let her hair grow a bit longer than her usual pixie-cut style. The older woman blanched, and let out a stammering, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Emma let out a sigh. "I don't know, I guess it was when we were coming back from the past. Zelena's time travel thingy and we brought Marian back to Storybrooke."

"Oh no, you too."

Emma was confused. "Me too? What too? What's wrong?"

"Emma, that was 3 years ago."

* * *

Regina was staring at her son. At least she was sure it was her son, except now a lot taller and a teenager, voice deeper and trying to figure out his body.

"So, what happened in these three years? I see you've grown."

Henry grinned at the last comment, but it faltered as he saw his mom waiting for an actual answer. "Yeah, a lot of things have happened."

He was keeping something from her, that's for sure. She would find out what it was. "Has the town at least gotten some peace and quiet after Zelena?"

"Kinda not really," he smirked. "We had Elsa, some ogres, you know, just another day in Storybrooke. Never dull."

The brunette smiled at her son, and ran a hand through her hair. She felt something different on her hand, and took a good look at it. She raised the left hand up to her son, preparing a glare should he not answer adequately. "What is this?"

"A ring." He was clearly her son, expertly dodging questions.

"What kind?"

"Silver?"

"Henry..." she had used the warning tone a lot in the past, and she didn't care if her son was already 15 and a little bit taller than her, she still knew how to intimidate.

"It's a wedding ring."

"And who is it that I'm supposedly married to?"

* * *

"Say _what_?!" Emma was sure her eyes would bug out at any second. This had to be a joke.

"A lot of time has passed, you two managed to get along, and eventually fall for one another."

"Is this Storybrooke's own version of punk'd? Seriously what the hell?"

Mary Margaret sighed, sitting on the bed. "Look Emma, believe me when I say that this was my exact reaction when _you_ told _me_ about your secret relationship with her, but I've learnt to accept it."

Emma nodded slowly. She was married to none other than Regina Mills. Man she must've conked her head harder than she thought.

Speaking of the devil, the door burst open, and sporting a gown identical to hers, Regina came in, fury in her eyes, a faint purple aura surrounding her. She barely registered Henry trailing behind her, or how different he looked.

She made a beeline to the bed, and practically growled at Mary Margaret, "I swear, if this is some kind of sick joke, I will tear-"

"Whoa there Regina." Emma gently placed a hand on Regina's arm, but the latter wrenched her arm free of the touch.

"You don't get to say anything either. I don't know what the hell kind of game this is but I refuse to play a part in this."

Mary Margaret refused to cower, and she replied, "Three years have passed Regina, doesn't a small part of you see this as being plausible?"

In truth, Regina wanted to say yes. She wanted to believe she had found love, and heck, she did think of Emma as attractive, and wouldn't have found it so unlikely the two wound up together, despite their various spats in the past. However, Regina attacked first and asked questions later. It was a tried and proven method to giver her time to breathe and figure things out, not to mention it allowed her to have the solid wall to protect her from sadness.

So, looking at Mary Margaret, she ground out a simple "No", and left the room.

Emma twirled the ring on her finger, her lie detector still ringing from Regina's answer.

* * *

If Regina had hoped her house would offer answers, she was sorely mistaken.

Well, there were answers, just not the ones she was looking for. In her state of denial, she had hoped she'd see that she still lived by herself, not that her house now had signs of one more inhabitant living within it, joining family pictures. Regina picked up one frame, seeing that it had to have been recent, Henry not looking much younger than what he was now, and she saw with a pang how happy she looked beside Emma, Henry between them.

She put down the picture before the tears she'd been keeping at bay actually spilled. This was too much for her.

She heard the door open, and got ready to attack the intruder, a fireball appearing on her hand.

"Whoa mom. It's just me." Henry had his arms up, eyes wide.

"Sorry Henry, I'm just- this is too much to take in."

"I know, but you asked."

Regina smiled, chuckling softly, "Yes, I suppose I did."

"Why did you lie?"

She looked at her son confused. What was he talking about?

When his mother didn't say anything, Henry elaborated, "After you left, Ma said that you were lying, when you answered grandma's question. So if you do find it plausible, why did you lie?"

How could Regina explain to her son that this was her survival mechanism? This had been how she had survived heartbreak after heartbreak in her life.

* * *

_"Why do you keep lying to yourself Regina?"_

_"You don't know me, Miss Swan."_

_Emma scoffed, letting out a mirthless chuckle. "I know you very well Regina Mills. I know that when you're nervous or scared, you take a step back from anything personal, including calling people by their first names. Also if you forgot, I have-"_

_"A built-in lie detector. Yes we've established that at least a dozen times Miss Swan, but I would have that lie detector checked out for faults. You can't put your inability to take a no for an answer as an excuse to break out the lie detector line. I'm sure it's a great party trick, but I will continue to insist, I do not like you."_

_"Okay Regina, whatever makes you sleep at night."_

_She probably should've left it at that, but she had a need to have the final word. "Why do you care anyway? You're with the pirate."_

_"Didn't work out." Emma didn't explain any more, but Regina could see there was a story behind it, and not a pleasant one. Why she had the sudden urge to find the pirate and inflict pain on him, she could hazard a guess, but she didn't like the implications from that reason._

_But Regina had to put her foot in her mouth with a snide remark. "That's too bad, you two seemed perfect for each other."_

_Emma didn't even bother to answer the jab, instead throwing her hands in the air and leaving with a huff._

* * *

Regina's eyes shot open. She knew for a fact that that hadn't been just any old dream. This was a memory.

She let out a sigh. At least this memory made sense. She didn't like Emma, and how could she have gone to marry the daughter of her arch-nemesis? The thought baffled her. But this? This made sense. This was the dynamic she was used to with the blonde. Not the lovey-dovey still images she saw.

Looking over at her clock, she saw that it was only 4am. She sat up and looked around the room. The room she and Emma supposedly shared. Thankfully the blonde wasn't here tonight, Henry told her that his other mother was staying over with the Charmings, giving both of them the space they needed.

Regina fell back onto her bed with a groan. Why did this have to be so complicated? Why couldn't she will her mind to just remember everything so she could make sense of the situation?

* * *

_Emma let out a hiss of pain, clutching her stomach. The gravel beneath her rumbled as the ogre walked away from her, thinking her dead._

_She might as well be, with the pain she was feeling; she couldn't even reach her phone, and there was no one around her. It was the middle of the night, and she was the sole person on night duty tonight_

_As she rested her head back on the pavement, she let out another wince of pain. The spiked club he had hit her with was coated with some kind of poison. Emma didn't even know what kind it was, but the sickly green color was enough of an indication to know it wasn't good. And that green mixed with her blood didn't make her feel any better about the matter._

_Her ears perked up as she heard heels hitting the pavement. She didn't even have the strength to look up to see who it was. _

_"Emma!" All of a sudden, her head and shoulders were being gently lifted, and someone sat beneath her. She opened her eyes and saw Regina Mills above her, eyes filled with worry._

_She wanted to say something snarky, something like how her caring was showing, but the pain in her abdomen was way too much for her to even try to think about coming up with a complex sentence, so instead she settled for a simple, "Hey."_

_Regina smiled. "Hey."_

_"Man these ogres pack a punch huh?"_

_The brunette's smile faltered. She remembered their situation, and quickly started to look at Emma's chest, the shirt bloodied and torn._

_"Careful, I think there's poison in there."_

_"Yes, it's a power-drainer."_

_"Should I even ask how you-" Emma paused to catch her breath, flinching slightly. She took a deep breath and continued, "How you know that?"_

_Regina smirked, "Comes with being an Evil Queen, dear." She then finished lifting away Emma's shirt so that her chest was unconstrained._

_"Right, of course." Emma rolled her eyes. "So, what does a power-drainer do?"_

_Regina's hands glowed purple as she set to work in healing the younger woman. "It does what it says. Life force, energy, magical powers. Ogres were never fair fighters, and just one whack of this can send even the strongest warriors packing."_

_"But-" she inhaled sharply. "But you touched it."_

_"Immunity. Ogres aren't the only ones that would know about the potion, and well, I wasn't exactly the most well-liked person in the Enchanted Forest. Suffice it to say that I was to be the victim of plenty of assassination plots in the past."_

_Emma saw the pain in Regina's eyes, and felt that one day, she'd ask about it. For now, she just had to focus on not dying, and with the little strength she had, she lifted her hand to give Regina's arm a comforting squeeze._

_Suddenly Regina's ministrations doubled in power, Emma gasped at how quickly the pain seemed to bevanishing, purple light glowing brightly._

_As the light died, Emma felt her breathing return to normal, and her hand dropped from where it previously rested on Regina's arm. She still felt weak, but managed to get out a weak "Thanks" to Regina, with a lopsided smile and everything._

_Regina, however, didn't respond. Instead, she lowered her head towards Emma's, until their lips met._

_Although Emma didn't really have much remaining strength, she returned the kiss back with as much force as she could muster. They broke apart once they heard an ambulance coming, and Emma blacked out just as she saw Regina trying to lift her towards where the ambulance had stopped._

* * *

Emma went down to the kitchen, carefully passing by her little brother's room who was now 3, and had been ecstatic to see her when she arrived at the house. Emma could barely wrap her head around the fact that her missing memories meant that the newborn she remembered was now 3 from one day to the next.

But now, what currently occupied her mind was the crazy dream she'd just woken up from. Was that how they had fallen in love? With Regina healing her from an ogre attack? It seemed like the kind of thing that would happen to them. She glanced at the clock, noting it was just past 4, and wondered how Regina was feeling. They'd both been released from the hospital, though from what she heard, Regina left after their little scene in the hospital room.

Whale had told her that this kind of amnesia probably went away with time. Memories would come back from time to time, usually in dreams or the like. They just needed to arm themselves with patience, and to see him in a week to check for progress.

So far Emma just had the one memory where she'd nearly died. It was weird to see everything like this, rather than having the memories of that time for context.

She drank her cup of water and placed it in the sink, before making her way back to her room. Once inside, she glanced once again at the bag with her clothes sitting on the chair. Mary Margaret had insisted that David had brought some clothes over from Regina's house, she still had trouble seeing it as both hers and Regina's, but Emma knew it was a lie. She didn't press, and figured that she'd eventually find what it was.

Were they having an argument? Was that why they were out driving in the middle of the night through Storybrooke's forests? She fidgeted with the ring on her finger as she thought, she had been unable to find the strength to take it off. Just because she couldn't remember it, didn't mean they weren't still married, right?

* * *

Regina looked up as she heard a loud yawn, looking up to see her teenaged son dragging his feet towards the kitchen, hair standing up on all ends.

"Morning Henry."

She only received a grunt in response.

"Nice to see some things don't change, like your conversational habits in the morning."

Now she got a glare, and Regina just laughed. She went over to the garbage can to throw away the apple peel, and was met with a strange sight.

"Henry? Why is there a broken vase in the garbage?" She looked over at her son and saw that he sobered up instantly.

"It broke."

"I can see that. But why would it be thrown away?" She was sure that she would have repaired with magic it if it had been broken. What had happened? Was there an argument?

A while later, she went outside and headed to her office. Just because she had amnesia didn't mean that she wasn't going to keep doing her job. As she got nearer to the building, she saw someone heading her way, and a familiar voice calling her name.

Emma stopped right beside her, catching her breath.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" She didn't have all day to stand here while her supposed wife was trying to come up with how to word her question.

"How are you?"

Regina was sure that hadn't been the blonde's original question, but still decided to entertain the other woman. "I'm fine, yourself?"

"Good, good." Emma nodded distractedly, and then, as if having a mental discussion with herself, decided on continuing, "Did you get any 'weird' dreams?"

The brunette didn't even think of the answer to that question, she merely noticed how, when the blonde brought up her hands to make air quotes, the glint of a ring caught her eye, and when she opened her mouth to speak, she said, "I see you're still wearing your ring."

Emma blushed, but her face fell as she saw that Regina wasn't. The indentation of the ring, after years of use, was still there, but Regina refused to wear it while she didn't know how she wound up where she was. "Y-yeah, figured that I'd lose it otherwise, so why not."

Regina didn't believe that for a second, and she didn't have time to be psychoanalyzing her pseudo-wife, so she just sighed and kept walking, leaving Emma standing there confused and hurt.

* * *

_"It's part of my job!"_

_"Your job is to protect people, not become target practice!"_

_"Come on, I'm not hurt!"_

_"But you could've been!"_

_Emma and Regina were glaring at each other, personal space long forgotten. The blonde huffed, stepping back, pacing around the room. "Look Regina, the bad guy's caught, and it's over, can't we just let it go? If we keep having spats every time I get hurt-"_

_"Maybe it'll convince you to stop trying to be the hero all the time," Regina spat, crossing her arms._

_"What would you have me do? Twiddle my thumbs around doing nothing, having other people get hurt because my wife doesn't think I can handle myself?"_

_Regina's eyes flashed a dangerous purple. "Is that what you think? That I'm holding you back? Keeping you from being the big hero?"_

_"No!-"_

_"Well it sounds like you're very much saying that!" Regina uncrossed her arms, a purple aura beginning to form. "So tell me, what were you saying?"_

_"Regina calm down, you know the stress isn't good for you!" Emma put up her hands in a placating gesture, inching her way closer to her wife._

_"Because my magic is dangerous?" Regina sneered. "So you can play the big hero risking your life and nearly get killed by a wayward axe, but I'm supposed to keep a lid on my magic? If being a hero is such a big part of you, Emma Swan, so is my magic."_

_"This is different Regina..."_

_"No, it's not!" A loud clink was heard as large shards of ceramic flew out. Regina, having noticed what happened, shielded herself, but Emma got the brunt of it, shards scratching at her face and arms._

_"Emma-" Regina saw the blood forming at the scratches by her wife, and tried to approach her, but Emma backed away._

_Without another word, the blonde went upstairs, and after a few minutes, came back down carrying a bag. Regina barely heard her wife say, "Call if you need anything," before the door slammed closed._

_Neither noticed the other was crying._

* * *

**Man I actually want to keep going with this one! But it's getting longer and more complicated and yeah I've gotta keep the length down, each one of these keep getting lengthier!**

**This one is more than 3,400 words! Hope everyone enjoys this! So far it seems everyone wants each of these drabbles continued, so I'll try my best to do so!**

**Tomorrow's accidental stimulation! Ooooooh, that one might be rated high T, nothing too extreme, but hey, it's hard to not tackle the subject without brushing on the more risque areas.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	4. Lingering Touches

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 4: Accidental Stimulation**

**Summary: Emma really hated the fact that she was crushing hard on the Mayor. Like really, could her luck get any worse? Pre-Curse break.**

**Just a note, this one is rated high T, 'cause you can't stimulate without touching some areas...pun somewhat intended.**

* * *

"Maybe you could give her flowers."

Emma looked up from where her head had been resting her arms, which in turn were on the cool tabletop of the diner, an eyebrow raised at Ruby's ridiculous idea.

"What part of 'I'm pretty sure she hates me' don't you get? I mean really, as if it wasn't bad enough that I'm her kid's biological mother, I also came in out of nowhere, and keep fueling Henry's crazy fairytale conspiracy."

Ruby practically snorted while laughing. "You two skipped the entire courting scene and went right to the 'divorced mothers trying to appease their kid from being stuck in the middle' huh?"

Emma's glare and frown deepened. "Thank you Ruby," she deadpanned.

"You asked for advice."

"Do you even know the meaning of advice?"

Ruby shrugged, and then smirked. "It's more fun to mess with you."

"RUBY!"

The waitress flinched, hearing Granny's warning yell to gossip less and work more. "Later Em."

The blonde sheriff slapped some money on the table and walked out into the sun, headed to the Sheriff's station. Distracted as she was, she of course had to walk right into someone. Carrying a stack of papers. Who also just so happened to be her last topic of conversation and current crush, Regina Mills.

Perfect.

As if that wasn't enough, her fine motor skills stopped working, as did the part of her brain that formed coherent sentences.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry Regina, I really wasn't looking where I was crushing, I mean going! And you're on the ground and I'm babbling, here let me help you."

Emma rushed forward to grab the still silent brunette's hand and pull her up, but Regina wasn't one to wait, and had been on her way to getting up, so Emma's hand missed their mark. It instead landed on her boob.

"Hands to yourself, Miss Swan." Regina stepped back from the touch, but Emma could see that Regina's cheeks were flushed, and through the thin fabric of the silk shirt, showed the hard points of Regina's nipples.

Emma's stare lingered, and then she remembered her situation. Papers still scattered, right. "I'm really sorry, let me get these for you."

As she crouched to pick up the papers from the ground, Regina busied herself doing the same, and then, like something out of a cheesy rom com, their hands went for the same paper, the last one left, and lingered there. Emma was sure that if Regina was blushing, she was putting tomatoes to shame.

Regina cleared her throat, and they both stood up, looking anywhere but each other.

Emma was feeling the entire embarrassing scene somehow empower her, like her mind was demanding her to take the risk. "So," Emma let the word linger, wondering if Regina was going to bail before she got the rest of her sentence out. Seeing the brunette finally manage to look at her, faint traces of the blush still there, Emma plowed on, "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out sometime? Go eat dinner maybe?"

Regina remained quiet, but Emma saw the usually stoic brunette's eyes widen at the invitation. Clearly she wasn't expecting that. Finally, she spoke. "I- very well Miss Swan, tomorrow?"

Emma could hardly believe her ears that she nearly forgot to answer. "Uh yeah! I'll pick you up at 7?"

A ghost of a smile passed her face, and Emma took it as a win. Feeling the euphoria at having been able to snag a date with Regina, she went up and kissed her on the cheek, and then ran off to the station, leaving Regina there.

The Mayor touched her cheek where she had been kissed, and for the first time in a really long while, she felt butterflies in her stomach, and something else deep in her core.

* * *

**Man, this is the second time I'm using the "crashing into someone and having an awkward moment" scenario.**

**But anyway! Sorry this one was so short, I literally had no idea what to do for this one, and next up is caregiving! Ooooh.**

**Let me know what you think about this one!**


	5. Welcome to Storybrooke

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 5: Caregiving**

**Summary: Emma Swan has a 3-month old kid and nowhere to go. A stormy evening takes her to Storybrooke, and a new life.**

**Sorry about the delay on this one folks! Lots of things happening keeping me busy, but I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

Emma Swan kept staring at the closed door in front of her, the baby in her arms babbling incoherently, unaware of what was going on, just trying to play with his mother's hair.

This was her last option and they turned her down. She was truly alone, fresh out of the correctional facility, with a 3-month old child. She hadn't even given him a name yet.

She covered the child as best as she could while she made her way to the bug in the pouring rain. Where would she go? She couldn't very well raise a child on the back of her car. As she strapped the child into his seat, blubbering happily at his mother, she tried to figure out where she could go.

New York? Maybe the crazy city life might offer positive things to both of them. Though she had no idea how she'd fare with the violence. Emma went to the driver's side, setting herself down and pulling out the map from the passenger's side. They had been travelling for a little over a week now, first on a bus from Phoenix to the east, where her car had been safely stored for the past number of months, and now they were on the outskirts of Boston. Although Boston could offer them a nice life, Emma never really liked the place. It brought up bad memories from one of her foster families that she'd rather not have to relive every time she made her way downtown.

The blonde traced the path on the map, seeing where they had to go. Simple enough route, now it was time to go. She decided she'd at least visit, and then see where they could go. It could be their first vacation, she reasoned, though she had no idea how she'd pay for it. Well, she had found a stack of money hidden in the glove compartment, a last parting gift from Neal she thought bitterly, and though she wouldn't feel one ounce of guilt from using it, she didn't want to blow it off all at once. She now had someone else to think of.

Emma looked in the rearview mirror at her child, a smile on her face. "Ready kid?"

The baby babbled happily in response, and Emma started the car, ready for a new life.

* * *

Darn the weather. Darn the rain and darn the idiot that had made these signs so damn confusing. She was pretty sure she was headed the wrong way, but the pouring rain and darkness did little to confirm or deny anything. She would just have to hope the next town had a hotel she could stop at, because with this rain she wasn't going anywhere.

Emma saw a sign looming closer, and tried to get a glimpse of what it said, but the rain was pounding too hard, so she just pressed ahead, her kid sleeping in the backseat, as she made her way into a small sleepy little town with a clock that didn't work.

As she came upon Main Street, Emma saw the glowing sign. "Granny's Bed and Breakfast huh?" She muttered as she read the sign. "Better than nothing I suppose."

Emma was tired from the drive and the storm, so right now all she wanted was a bed and a roof over her head. She parked her yellow bug at the miniature parking lot and got the sleeping baby out, making sure he was safely tucked into her jacket before she made her way inside.

Her hair, held up in a ponytail, was drenched, by the time she went inside, the rest of her clothes faring the same fate. As she looked up, she felt like she had grown an extra head as she faced a young woman and an old lady, who Emma supposed was Granny. The pair were looking at her strangely, and neither said a word of welcome.

Emma decided to take the first step. "Hi, is the B&B open?"

The younger woman with red streaks in her hair came back to her senses and flashed a smile. "Yeah! I'm Ruby, and this here's Granny. How long will you be needing a room?"

The blonde smiled in return at the introduction. "Emma. And just for a day, I didn't want to keep driving in the middle of the storm with my kid."

The two workers now saw that the newcomer had a baby in her arms, sleeping peacefully while having been spared from the brunt of the storm by his mother's jacket.

Granny smiled fondly. "That's quite alright, we'll get your room set up soon enough. Welcome to Storybrooke!'

Emma gave her a tired smile. "Thanks."

* * *

Regina was having a hell of a morning.

Her alarm clock, after 18 years of faithful service, didn't alert her this morning that she had to wake up, so she had to do her entire morning routine in a rush. What's worse was that she didn't even have time to prepare coffee, as her need to look presentable outbid her need of coffee, as she could get it at Granny's.

Of course all her effort had gone to waste as soon as she stepped outside into a rainstorm. In her hurry to get ready she hadn't even looked outside or even bothered to check the weather so she practically went outside blind. Her hair was now a mess, and her suit was drenched before she went back inside to get a jacket.

As if all of that wasn't enough, imagine her surprise when she comes in and finds a stranger. A stranger in Storybrooke. It had happened only once before and Regina did her best to forget that one time. The blonde sitting on the stool was chatting amiably with Ruby. Every now and then the blonde would glance up and to the side, as if checking for something.

Regina followed the blonde's sight as best as she could, and saw the loathed Mary Margaret playing with a baby. Wait, a baby? Could it be? Had Snow's child finally been found and had been cursed this entire time as well? The impromptu theory was squished after a few minutes when the waitress walked over to her.

"Morning Madam Mayor! Crazy weather huh?"

Regina nodded slightly, her attention focused on the strangers. After a beat, she pointed with her chin at the blonde, and asked, "Who is that?"

"Oh, that's Emma. She and her kid got lost in the storm and she's going to be staying here until the rain dies out."

So it was the stranger's child, interesting. "She's staying at the Inn?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes ma'am. Do you want your usual?"

"Yes, thank you, Miss Lucas." The brunette sauntered over to where the now named blonde sat, staring fondly as her child interacted with the teacher.

Emma hadn't noticed the older woman make her way closer, so she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard, "I don't believe we've met before."

As the blonde regained her composure, she did a quick once over of the brunette before she extended a hand and smiled. "I'm Emma. You are?"

"Regina Mills." She shook the other woman's hand and then as they let go, she glanced over at the child. "And he's yours?"

Emma nodded, not saying a word.

Seeing she wasn't going to get more information willingly, she prompted for the answer herself. "What's his name?"

The blonde faltered here. "Um- I haven't really come up with one yet. I know it's bad, he's 3 months old and still nameless, but I just don't know what to name him."

Regina tried to push the shock back. She decided to shift the topic a bit. "Are you staying here long?"

Emma shook her head. "Just until the storm dies out. Then heading back out again."

"Oh? Where to?"

"No idea, probably New York, I've always wanted to visit."

"So this is a trip then? Do you live up north?" Regina was beyond late to work by now, but she felt herself sitting down as she continued to speak to the mysterious stranger who had arrived. Plus, it wasn't as if she would be reprimanded by anyone, she was the Mayor after all. Everyone feared and respected her, as it should be. Though there were times where Regina wished the fear part wasn't as prominent.

Emma chuckled, shaking her head. "Nah, you could say I'm in transition currently. Trying to find a new home for me and my kid."

She was a single mother then. Regina felt a pang at thinking of the woman alone against the world trying to protect her child from the evils in the world. "Well, you could always stay here. It would certainly be safer for you and your child than New York."

The thought had crossed Emma's mind. What the other woman said certainly made sense. But- "There aren't any places for rent. I tried to look but from what I understand, everyone's been living in the same place for as long as anyone can remember."

Regina nodded absentmindedly. Before she could say anything, Mary Margaret made her way to where the two were sitting, handing the child back to her.

"It was really nice to meet the two of you, but now I have to go get ready for my class. I hope to see you again!" Mary Margaret waved to them, before saying a small hello to Regina, who sent a frigid response in return.

As soon as the door closed, Regina heard the blonde say something to her, but she didn't hear it. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch it."

"Do you want to meet my kid?" She turned her body so the little boy was now facing the brunette, "Hey kid, meet Regina."

The little baby mumbled happily and Regina gingerly took the small child into her arms. Seeing the baby reach out to grab her made her heart melt. An idea started forming in her mind. She had been looking for a child, and her house was too big just for her...perhaps she would accept.

"My house is big enough."

Emma was sure she heard wrong. Looking up from where she was watching her kid play around with Regina's hair, she made eye contact with the other woman. "What?"

"My house, it's too big for me by myself, and if you want, you could stay."

"Oh no," Regina braced herself for another round of disappointment. "I couldn't impose."

The brunette was surprised. She had been expecting something akin to disgust or even fear. The young woman, who Regina realized looked more like a teen than anything, was probably just unsure of her life now with a child and how to deal with everything. Certainly Regina was curious about how the young woman came to be in this situation, but wouldn't press now.

"Well, at the very least I insist you come by dinner tonight." Regina wasn't sure what brought on this immense need to help the young woman. Was she only helping her for the child? Yes, that was definitely it. At the very least, it was what she told herself.

"I- thank you, we'd love that."

Regina smiled, and gave her the address to her house, with instructions on how to get there from the Diner. Emma accepted it graciously, and soon she parted the Diner, now with her order.

When she left, Ruby came back to where Emma was sitting. "How did you do that?"

Emma looked confused at the brunette. "Do what?"

"You actually managed to get on the Mayor's good side, and she smiled at you!"

"Wait, I thought Mary Margaret was a teacher?"

"No! Regina Mills is the Mayor."

"Oh! Didn't realize." Emma shrugged, she didn't understand how this was a big deal.

Of course, Ruby answered her unspoken query for her. "She doesn't really like change. We think that's why no one ever comes here. She kinda rules with an iron fist."

Emma blanched. Well then, she had probably just made a fool of herself at least a dozen times with that small exchange.

* * *

Regina reminded herself that this was just a simple dinner, but a small part of her wanted to convince the blonde to stay here. She didn't fully understand why she wanted a child for her own, it wasn't as if she'd had stellar parenting at the hands of Cora, but regardless, she hoped that maybe a child would offer her some happiness and respite from the monotonous life in this small town.

As the doorbell rang, Regina made sure everything was prepared before going to answer the door.

Dinner had been pleasant. Small talk mostly. Emma had apologized for not knowing Regina was the mayor, to which the brunette brushed off, saying it wasn't of consequence, insisting she could call her Regina, no special title required.

There were some moments of silence, and some moments where Emma was just trying to get her kid to to eat. Regina had prepared a special meal for the child, something Emma greatly appreciated.

After dinner, they had retired to the study, where Emma held her sleeping child. Regina offered her something to drink, and Emma accepted some coffee, saying cider was too strong for her, plus she had to drive back to the Inn.

Regina kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to press, but companionship in the form of a child and a friend seemed like a welcome reprieve for the once Evil Queen.

After a few seconds of silence, Regina decided to breach a more personal topic. She had always been curious, demanding answers to puzzles, and the conundrum that was Emma was baffling her.

"Don't you have any family or friends that can help you?"

Regina thought Emma wouldn't answer, but was surprised when the blonde shook her head in the negative. Though the blonde didn't leave it at that.

"I know I must look like a terrible parent." She took a deep breath as she continued. "I won't be winning any parenting awards, but I just couldn't give him away. I promised myself I wouldn't. No matter the challenges and obstacles were ahead, I'd power through for him."

Regina's heart ached for the blonde. She wished her own mother had been so devoted to her. She cleared her throat and then decided to persist once more. "Well, if you're willing to have a friend help, my offer still stands. As you can see I wasn't exaggerating about the size of my home, so living comfortably would not be a problem. I don't wish to pressure you, but I want you to know that this is an option for both you and your child."

"Regina, I couldn't afford to help you pay for this house-" Emma was sure she might have enough for some months, but who would hire an ex-convict single-mother in a small town? She'd be run out of town before they'd even consider accepting her.

"Nonsense, I do not require money."

Emma was sure there would be a catch. She had learnt the hard way that nothing in life was free, and no one ever was kind for the sake of it. "Then what would you want?"

Regina thought about it for a while. A slice of the truth wouldn't hurt perhaps. Her strong cider was making her tongue loose; she'd have to be careful or else more dangerous revelations might come through. "Companionship. I don't really have friends in this town, they all would rather think me first as a Mayor than a friend. And" here Regina could feel a small blush creeping up as she just kept talking, fueled by the cider. "For the past while, I've been curious as to what it would be like to have a child."

Emma just blinked at the brunette, surprised at the forwardness of the confession. She was even more surprised that her lying detector didn't ping at all. Maybe she could give a chance to the brunette. After all, it wasn't like she herself had an abundance of friends. Perhaps being able to have someone helping her wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay, deal. One condition though."

Regina nodded, hoping she could meet it.

"Can you help me name my kid?"

* * *

"Mommy! Movie!" Little Henry was pulling at her hair, as if pulling on it hard enough would get her to go where he wanted.

Emma chuckled, "I haven't forgotten Henry! Let's go pick out your movie. What kind do you want to watch?"

"Adwenture!"

"Ad_ven_ture." Emma repeated, stressing on the V to teach Henry how to pronounce it properly. The little 4 year old only huffed in response. When they got to the movie section, Emma was disappointed to see a small selection of movies for children. Mainly only one movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Well, she supposed adventure did include the fairytale story, so she went to the front and rented it.

Henry, of course, wanted to watch it right when they got home, so Emma put him down on the couch, making himself comfortable as Emma tried to get the vhs tape in.

As soon as it was in, Emma rushed to the couch, nearly tackling the young boy in the process, getting both to laugh themselves silly, before the familiar intro song came on.

Regina, coming back from work, was exhausted. The never-ending pile of work seemed to claw at her, and she welcomed the reprieve of the end of the day, a chance to get to spend time with people she practically called family.

By the time she made her way inside the house, Regina could hear the distant sounds of a movie playing, followed by snippets of commentary by the bright young boy.

The two women had a wonderful companionship going as they shared the too-big house, and Emma, after much insistence, helped in her own way, whether it was to pay for the groceries, especially food for Henry, or even just helping to clean around the house.

The blonde was now town sheriff in a surprising turn of events. Graham, the previous Sheriff, had at first been delighted to have a partner in crime, but he eventually realized that law enforcement just didn't suit him anymore, and was now doing some forest ranger/ living out in the wilderness thing that Regina barely understood.

Regina had also realized that her curse was weakening. She actually hadn't noticed it at first, but then her roommate had mentioned the clock in Main Street was working. The Mayor hadn't given it much thought, not noticing that the clock's movements, or lack thereof, were connected to everyone being frozen in time, but after four years, the changes were noticeable.

Perhaps it wasn't so obvious on the adults, but the children were growing up along with Henry, though it helped to keep the curse a secret, because she was sure the two other occupants of the house would notice if none of Henry's playmates aged.

Now, having put her outerwear away in the front closet, Regina was musing to herself as to what they could have for dinner when she heard some crying from Henry, and Emma trying to soothe him. Wanting to see if she could help, she made her way to the living room and saw Henry hiding behind a pillow and Emma trying to calm him down.

Trying to find the source of his fright, the brunette looked around the room, eyes landing on a familiar movie.

She could hardly stop the scoff that came out at seeing the movie loosely based on her and Snow White. Key word here was loosely, as she'd never have gone after the raven-haired woman for something so shallow as looks; really the nerve of whoever had made this atrocity.

But for now she had a child to comfort, and she made her way towards the Swan family.

"Come on Henry, she can't hurt you!" Emma was saying to Henry. Who was she talking about? "Plus, you'll see how the evil and mean queen is defeated! Good will win!"

Regina fell a pang of sadness. He was afraid of the Evil Queen.

Henry barely peeked out from behind his pillow shield, wide eyes staring at his mother. "Really?"

"Mhmm." Emma nodded.

"What if she comes here?" Naive Henry still believed story characters could come out of nowhere and harm him. Though in this case, Regina thought wryly, he was right. The subject of his fear was standing in that very room.

Emma smiled, seeing her child hiding behind his pillow again. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Henry peeked out again and saw Regina standing there. "'Gina!"

Emma turned and smiled as she saw the brunette, who made her way over to sit beside Henry.

"Will you also prote-cect me?"

Regina did a double take. She didn't know what to say. What could she say?

"Protect, Henry." Emma corrected him.

Regina felt Henry pulling on her shirt, waiting for an answer. She smiled at him as she nodded. "Of course Henry, I'll always protect you."

* * *

**Okay! Well I think this drabble was a lot better than my last one, but hey, you get good ones and bad ones right?**

**Once again, let me know if you want me to continue this one!**

**Truth Serum in the next one, let's see how that one goes!**

**Thanks for all the feedback, faves, follows, and of course, reviews!**


	6. Under Influence

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 6: Truth Serum**

**Summary: Emma has just been given Veritaserum, and is now truthfully admitting to everything, including her feelings for a certain someone. Hogwarts AU.**

**I'm a bit of a Harry Potter nut, so whenever I start thinking of Truth Serum, I always end up with Veritaserum, so voila!**

**AND! Please please please at least go to the bottom of the chapter to help choose what will be my last prompt for this week, thank you!**

* * *

"Look at them, the pompous fools." Zelena sat down beside her, glaring at the raucous Gryffindors celebrating their newest win, against them no less.

Regina hummed a non-committal answer, eating her food silently. If there was one thing Regina never understood, was the passion for Quidditch. Maybe it was because she didn't play it, but to her a bunch of people chasing balls around on brooms seemed like a waste of time. The only bright side was that she could read anywhere in the castle without having to deal with the constant noise of the castle.

"Ladies." The ever-persistent seeker for the Slytherin team, Killian Jones, sat down on the bench on the opposite side of where the two were sitting. He had his windswept hair and his robes all askew, clearly made to make it seem he put it all in a hurry, not caring for neatness. He and Zelena struck up a conversation, talking about something or other.

Regina didn't even know why she bothered to sit through dinner. She should've gone later, when everyone would've been too busy in the common room and she could eat in peace, and not have to deal with the after-match conversations.

She glanced over to the Ravenclaw table, wistfully thinking once more to that fateful first day at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat was very interested by her want to be in Slytherin, though he insisted she'd be much better suited in Ravenclaw. But Regina knew that if she wasn't in Slytherin, like her mother, she'd be disowned. She also naively thought that maybe being in the same house as her mother would be cause for pride and she'd get better treatment from the usually unfriendly and frigid woman.

She was wrong.

Cora barely acknowledged it, thinking it obvious that she'd be placed in Slytherin, otherwise she'd have "gone straight to the Headmaster and not only given him a sound thrashing for tarnishing the Mills name, but also jinxing that darned talking hat to unravel into yarns, and maybe get used for something decent."

So here she was, decked out in the black robe with green accents and the snake shield, thanking her lucky stars this was her last year here. The classes weren't bad, and she had made friends, though they were sparse, but the pressure of her family's reputation meant that the Slytherin Head Girl had to be on her best behavior.

"Here they come." Jones grumbled, rolling his eyes as the Gryffindor team made their way to them.

The captain, the abrasive 5th year Gryffindor, Emma Swan along with her teammates, crowded around Killian, all smirking widely.

"So Killian, about that wager of yours." The blonde was clearly trying to not laugh her, attempting to keep a straight face at least until they got out of the area.

"Sorry love, don't remember anything."

David, also on the team, nudged him as he said, "Come on Killian, don't tell us you're scared?"

"No such thing." The Slytherin even made a big show of flashing a grin at the team.

"Well then, see you tomorrow."

Regina didn't even want to ask what was happening tomorrow. She had a feeling she'd find out very soon.

The Gryffindor team started to leave, but the Captain looked at Regina directly, and winked at her. Regina felt the fury rising within her. The blonde clearly did some things just to spite her, and it irked her every time she did it.

* * *

Seeing the Slytherin Seeker come inside the Common Room the next day carrying his broom and wearing nothing more than his underwear, along with his tie around his head was enough to make Regina groan internally. Out loud, she said, "I'm guessing this was your revenge?"

"Aye, but don't worry, I've got the perfect counter revenge lined up."

"Oh? What is it?" Zelena, sitting not too far away, perked up to listen.

"Let's just say tomorrow one Swan will be spewing out all her dirty little secrets." Without another word, he went to go change into something a little bit more decent.

The red-head mused out loud. "I wonder what he's planning."

"Probably going to jinx her or something." After the wink from yesterday, Regina more than welcomed revenge on the Gryffindor blonde.

Zelena nodded in agreement and went back to reading. The two girls didn't have much in common. Zelena Wicks was in 6th year so they didn't even share any classes, but she was after power, and what better way to achieve that than by befriending one of the most powerful families in the Wizarding World?

Of course, Cora had been smitten with the girl Regina was coming back with on the train, and was delighted to have her over during the summer.

So Regina had to continue being friendly with the girl, just for the sake of her mother. She truly felt like a puppet sometimes, doing everything just to please her mother, who wouldn't even acknowledge it anyway.

* * *

The next day Regina discovered what exactly Killian Jones had done.

Emma Swan was now on Veritaserum, and apparently potent stuff, since she had tried to go to the Hospital Wing, and Madam Blue had been stumped as to why the cure wasn't working.

"Did you hear? It's open season on Swan." Zelena smirked, coming to sit beside her at lunch.

And what a sight it was. What had yesterday been a confident and headstrong woman was now a girl trying to appear as small as possible, with a crowd of people from many houses, most of them Slytherin she noticed, trying to get her to admit to something embarrassing.

"Come on, let's go see." Although Regina wasn't the type of person to really get involved school affairs, she wouldn't miss this opportunity to at least watch. Plus she knew that ever since the blonde had 'accidentally' jinxed a glass of water to dump water on her, Zelena had been dying to get as much revenge as she could, and Regina enjoyed the entertainment. Here she could feel the Slytherin in her.

Someone yelled out, "So Emma, what do you think about Headmaster Gold?"

Regina could see the girl try to hold the answer in, but then, as if the words had physically tumbled out of her mouth, she responded, "Slimy bastard."

Cheers and whistles could be heard, and someone else poised to make another question.

"Hey Swan," one Slytherin girl jeered, a sneer on her face. "How do you feel knowing mommy and daddy abandoned you?"

Regina did a double take. The Gryffindor was an orphan? This had probably come out with the truth potion, since she had never even heard the rumor, and rumors traveled fast in Hogwarts, especially juicy ones like this.

Suddenly the circle broke up as the blonde pushed away from everyone, nearly colliding with Regina as she ran off, and the Slytherin could've sworn she saw tears in the blonde's eyes. She almost felt pity for her.

* * *

That evening found Regina heading to the Great Lake to find a comfortable spot to read, and soon enough found a great oak tree that provided her with a nice shade and a good breeze. Perfect.

After a few minutes, she kept hearing a sniffling sound that was bothering her. She couldn't find the source of the noise, and she was ready to jinx a box of tissues over whoever's head it was that kept crying silently.

Regina stood up, muttering under her breath. They were probably on the other side of the tree, and lo and behold, as the Slytherin rounded the tree, she found none other than Emma Swan, knees up to her chest, head resting on her knees, a cascade of hair covering her entire face.

The Slytherin looked left and right, not a soul to be found. Regina could enjoy seeing the blonde getting teased, but this was bordering on bullying. She knew that the news of Emma's parentage had made its rounds throughout the school, and Emma was probably having to deal with the consequences big time. Without giving it much thought, Regina sat down beside the blonde and pulled her body closer, hugging her.

Emma didn't even bother to look up to see who it was, she just thankfully took the body in, and continued to cry. Regina stroked the blonde hair, soothing sounds coming out of her mouth as the blonde calmed.

Without really thinking, she tried to alleviate the tension with a joke. "Well, at least they didn't ask, 'who's your crush?'"

"Regina."

Said girl stiffened. They hadn't really talked much in the past, how did the blonde know it was her?

Emma, at feeling the other person become rigid, looked up, and paled at seeing who she was talking to, hand covering her mouth.

Regina, for her part, was confused. The blonde had remained frozen in her spot, looking as if she'd just seen a ghost. She wondered what made the girl react like that, and as she replayed the last minute in her mind, she realized what had happened. "You-you like me?"

The Gryffindor, hand still over her mouth, meekly nodded.

* * *

**To be entirely honest, I didn't give much thought to the houses everyone would be in. If anyone has any headcanon with the characters in a different house, I do apologize, this was just a drabble.**

**And now, the moment of truth! I'm not going to do the Accidental Marriage prompt because a) I have no idea what to do for it, and b) I'm late enough as it is and running out of ideas, plus I've already churned out 6 different stories, so yeah.**

**But the final prompt is creator's choice, and I'm leaving it up to YOU!**

**Just let me know which prompt you want me to continue/do, and the one with most votes will be the one for next chapter!**

**So the options are:**

**To continue:**

**- The Kissing Booth [Awkward Situation]**

**- Date in the Name of the Law [Fake Relationship]**

**- In Sickness and in Health [Amnesia]**

**- Welcome to Storybrooke [Caregiving]**

**OR**

**New:**

**- Invisible: Emma wakes up in the middle of the forest with no recollection of what happened the night before, and as she makes her way to town she realizes 3 things. No one can see her, she can pass through objects, and she's mute.**

**- Double Life: Emma is a superhero, protecting the world from Evil. Regina is said Evil, and longs for one day to defeat the so-called savior. They can't stand each other while out on the field, but that doesn't mean the same is with their secret identities.**

**So your choice!**

**Let me know and I'll write accordingly!**

**Just as a note, I know that both Lingering Touch and this one aren't included in the list above, but I just don't know what to write to continue Lingering Touch, and for this one, I think the whole sorting of everyone into their own houses would be too much trouble to even think about continuing this.**


	7. Kissing Booth Pt 2

**Swan Queen Week**

**Prompt 8: Creator's Choice - Kissing Booth Pt. 2**

**It was a very tight race, but in the end, popular vote got everyone another small-ish chapter of the Kissing Booth!**

* * *

Emma walked over to the lunch tables, but before heading to where she saw her family sitting, she went over to Ruby, friend and confidante, and also the only person who would be able to help her without giving her a weird look.

"Hey Em, how's the kiss-" A surprised yelp interrupted Ruby's question as Emma wordlessly dragged her friend away from where she was helping Granny serve lunch, taking both of them to a more secluded space. Or well, as secluded as they could get in this fair.

As soon as they got there, Emma let her friend go, and turned to face her, saying, "I need advice."

"What did you do?" Ruby had a smirk on her face. She could see Emma's embarrassment, nudging her to answer.

"I might've...kissed Regina."

Ruby didn't even bat an eyelash. "Isn't that the point of the kissing booth?"

"No, well yes! But that's not what I mean. Regina came in to get her kiss, but she didn't know it was me, but then Mary Margaret was outside telling everyone it was lunch break, and she was still standing there so I, well, I kissed her again." Emma had started to pace as she talked, hands making wild gestures as she tried to explain to her friend exactly what had happened.

"And? Did she kiss you back?"

"Well, right at that moment, Mary Margaret told me it was my break, and called me by name so that Regina found out who I was, and then she ran off before I could say anything." Now Emma looked deflated, standing still, her arms swinging a bit, fists drumming onto her legs, waiting for Ruby's reaction.

Ruby knew what this was about. It wasn't just about the fact that they kissed. "Do you like her?"

"Well yes, but-"

"No but's! Go after her, woman!" Ruby practically started shoving the blonde back towards the fair. "You two are worse than teenagers."

Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled as she thanked Ruby and went back towards the fair. Now she just had to find an ex-Evil Queen. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

* * *

Emma was sure she jinxed herself. She couldn't find hair nor hide of the brunette, or of anyone who would know where she would be. After 15 minutes of fruitless searching, she finally found someone. Kathryn.

Running up to the other blonde, Emma let out a breathless, "Hey."

"Hey Emma! Great fair this year huh?" Emma could tell the other woman was trying her best to make small talk. Regina had talked to her, she was certain.

"Where's Regina?"

Kathryn's eyes widened. "I- uh..."

"Just a reminder, lie detector." She pointed to her own head, tapping it gently.

Regina's friend sighed dejectedly, motioning her head out of the fair. "She went back home but-" she grabbed Emma's arm before the Sheriff could leave. "Look, Regina doesn't need anyone else letting her down. She needs someone that will care for her and just...don't hurt her, okay?"

Emma smiled widely. "Wouldn't dream of it."

She left the fair at a run, heading over to the Mayor's white house, smiling as she saw the car parked outside. Chances were, Regina would be in there. Going up the walkway to the front door, knocking once she got there. Emma tried to prepare for all the possibilities that would happen once the door opened. What she didn't plan for, was that the door wouldn't open.

Emma knocked once more, and rang the doorbell for good measure. No answer.

She weighted her options. Could Regina be aware that it was her at the door, and was trying to avoid her? Most likely. Yelling wouldn't work, she'd probably sound crazed, and someone would hear her, and then go running to Mary Margaret to try and knock some sense into her. Confessing her love to an ex-Evil Queen? Nonsense.

So she did the next best thing. She took out her phone, and dialed the house she was standing in front of's number.

Emma heard the phone ring once, twice, thrice, and silently gave props to Regina for still not picking up. The answering machine answered her after a few more rings, and after the beep, the blonde took a deep breath and started to talk.

"Hey Regina, I'm kinda guessing you're avoiding me, because I'm pretty sure you're home, and yet I've tried to ring your doorbell, knock on your door, and call your house, but no answer. Look, I want to talk to you about our...our kiss. You sort of ran off after you found out it was me, not before that, even though the kissing booth only was for one small kiss.

"I'm not sure if you ran away because you were disgusted or scared or what, but if we could just talk, because truth is, I liked the kiss. Even the second one that got cut off abruptly. So if you want, I'm still standing in front of your house." Emma hung up the phone and waited.

After a few minutes, she turned around and started to walk back out, not even hearing the door open, or the heels that were on the woman purposefully striding over to her. What she did notice though, was someone grabbing her arm and turning her around quickly.

And what she _definitely_ noticed, was a hand snaking up to caress her cheek as she was kissed.

* * *

**And that's the end of my writing for SQ Week! I hope everyone has enjoyed the ride!**

**Now for shameless self-promotion!**

**I've got one fic that I'm currently writing:**

**Such a Heavenly View:**** An AU that takes place after the first curse, where a mysterious Serenader is leaving romantic messages throughout Storybrooke to Regina.**

**I've got a couple of fics I'm planning on writing:**

**Emma, Princess of Thieves AU:**** it's based on this one edit/drawing by mishka47 over on Tumblr with Emma as a skilled Thief in the Enchanted Forest.**

**The Swan Princess/ Swan Lake AU****: Not sure if it's been done before, but yeah, it's going to be a thing. Pretty sure everyone can guess what the plot is.**

**All the other drabbles that I also offered up to continue in the last chapter WILL be continued! Including:**

**The Kissing Booth**** ['cause the story isn't over quite yet!]**

**Date in the Name of the Law**

**In Sickness and in Health**

**Welcome to Storybrooke**

**Also I'm still considering doing the other two I offered:**

**Double Life/Superhero AU**

**Invisible Situation****: There wasn't tooo much enthusiasm for this one, so that one's still up in the air.**

**And ALL of these are Swan Queen fics, just to clarify.**

**Let me know your thoughts about everything!**

**What did you think of this chapter? Any fic in particular you want me to write first?**

**Thanks so much for sticking around for this, I'll write more soon!**


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